Wednesday, February 15, 2006
NSA Congressional Hearings
The Washington Post has an important story today about Congressional oversight of an NSA effort you may have been hearing about lately. The Post refers to it as “the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program”. Reportedly the program monitors communications between US-based people and certain identified associates of certain terrorists’ organizations in certain parts of the world so the Post could perhaps use the term “international” instead of “domestic”. However, the Post is probably worried that such terminology could perhaps confuse the public into thinking the program is related to our ongoing misunderstanding with certain militant Islamist factions that want to kill us.
Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt
Apparently, the White House is not too keen on Congress holding hearings on the NSA effort. So, in an effort to dissuade Congress from going forward on them, they are employing such questionable tactics as briefings and Vice President Cheney (heh, heh). This is a well-sourced article allowing you, the reader, to intelligently weigh the credibility of the information presented. Charles Babbington cites “key Republican and Democratic sources “, “[t]wo committee Democrats”, “a top Senate Republican aide”, “several others” , “[l]awmakers” and “senators”…and, oh yeah, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) “declined to be interviewed”.
Mr. Babbington explains, without the slightest hint of irony, that the “top Senate Republican aide” and “several others” spoke only on background “because of the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work”. Note: “the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work.” didn’t prevent them from speaking, they just didn’t want anyone to know it was them. Is it any wonder that the Administration is reluctant to expand their ongoing Congressional briefings on this matter?
Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt
Apparently, the White House is not too keen on Congress holding hearings on the NSA effort. So, in an effort to dissuade Congress from going forward on them, they are employing such questionable tactics as briefings and Vice President Cheney (heh, heh). This is a well-sourced article allowing you, the reader, to intelligently weigh the credibility of the information presented. Charles Babbington cites “key Republican and Democratic sources “, “[t]wo committee Democrats”, “a top Senate Republican aide”, “several others” , “[l]awmakers” and “senators”…and, oh yeah, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) “declined to be interviewed”.
Mr. Babbington explains, without the slightest hint of irony, that the “top Senate Republican aide” and “several others” spoke only on background “because of the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work”. Note: “the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work.” didn’t prevent them from speaking, they just didn’t want anyone to know it was them. Is it any wonder that the Administration is reluctant to expand their ongoing Congressional briefings on this matter?
